The Magic Touch: A Conversation with Jane Yolen

More often than not, a Jane Yolen book





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pulls kids into a world of possibility – from ghosts fighting compost monsters to unicorns, wizards and all things fairy-tale. But while many of Yolen’s nearly 250 books dabble in magic and fantasy, she doesn’t believe in magic herself – though she does believe magic is a fun metaphor to show readers something about a character or setting.


“Do I believe there were really dragons? Fairies? No,” she says. “Do I believe that there are people who have dragon personalities or fairy personalities? Absolutely. Have I ever met an angel or a ghost? No. But I have met people who I would call angels and I have met people who have that kind of presence that makes you think that they’re not really here and maybe that they feel like a ghost.”


For 40 years, Yolen has written books for all ages – from rhymed board books for infants to adult novels and (literally) everything in between. The impact of her work is reflected in the numerous awards she has won, including the Caldecott Medal, Nebula Awards, a Golden Kite Award and Christopher Medals.


The Power of Stories
For Yolen, stories aren’t just an entertaining way to spend a rainy afternoon or the last thing to do before your little ones drift off to sleep, they’re a powerful teachitool for everything from literacy skills to building character.


And, whether it’s fairy tales, more modern tales or stories from the Bible, Yolen believes that stories have the ability to change the world – by affecting the masses all at once or by changing one person at a time.


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